Air guide structure



Oct. 6, 1959 J. M. SWEEDYK ETAL.

AIR GUIDE STRUCTURE Filed Jan. 14, 1957 4 SheetsSheet 1 HIHIIIHIH Oct. 6, 1959 J. M. swr-:EDYK ETAL 2,907,262

AIR GUIDE STRUCTURE Filed Jan. 14, 1957 v4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS 6, 1959 J. M. swEi-:DYK rs1-AL AIR GUIDE STRUCTURE 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 14, 1957 INVENTORS,

ATToRNEys Oct. 6, 1959 J. M. swEEDYK :TAL 2,907,262

AIR GUIDE STRUCTURE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 14, 1957 ToRs, da/es M5L/fea 62E/v L. 'LfAsorv @WMM ATTORNEYS nited States Patent 2,907,262 AIR GUIDE STRUCTURE James M. Sweedyk and Glen L. Gleason, Belding, Mich.,

assignors to Hupp Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Virginia Application January 14, 1957, Serial No. `633,945 Claims. (Cl. SiS-110) This invention relates to air guide structure and more particularly -to improved mechanisms for controlling the flow of air delivered by fans or blowers and especially such units used in air conditioners.

While in certain aspects the invention is of general application and may be used to direct the air delivered in cooling fans and like apparatus, it is particularly suitable for room air conditioners which are usually mounted in a window and are utilized to supply conditioned air to small -apartments or the individual rooms of oiiices or homes.

Most room air conditioners are provided with adjustable louvers or equivalent means for deflecting the stream of air delivered by the unit to establish a desired air ow pattern within the space to be conditioned and to avoid directing currents of cold air toward the occupants of the room.

However, the adjustment of many of the prior constructions involves considerable inconvenience yand in many cases it is necessary to position each of the louvers individually. Prior mechanisms which provide for simultaneous adjustment of the louvers oier such adjustment to a very limited range and involve complex controls which are bulky, cumbersome or unduly expensive.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention improved means are provided for eifecting simultaneous adjustment of a number of air deecting 4louvers to any desired angular position with a convenience not heretofore odered. Adjustment is effected by a simple, positively acting control mechanism positioned flush with the surface of the air conditioner front panel. The control member is so mounted that the louvers can be adjusted in one direction by depressing the upper portion of the control member and adjusted in the opposite direction by depressing the lower end of the control member. The control mechanism also includes means for returning the control member to its neutral position after each actuation.

Experience has shown that for many applications any one setting of manually adjustable louvers may produce an air pattern which results in localized over-cooling and insuthcient cooling of other areas of the room. Further, any given setting of manually adjustable louvers produces a uniform air flow pattern which, while satisfactory under certain conditions, may become unsatisfactory as the conditions change or as the occupants of the room change their position.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention an additional set of oscillatable louvers is provided upstream-of the manually adjustable louvers to modify the air flow pattern established by the manually adjustable louvers and to provide a gentle diiused selectively directional flow of air not obtainable in any known prior apparatus.

' It is, accordingly, the primary purpose and object of the present invention to provide improved air directing means for air conditioning units which minimize the objectionable effects of prior devices and provide a gentle diliused flow of cooled air throughout the space served by the air conditioner.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide novel apparatus for directing the flow of air delivered by an air conditioner including annique` combination of con- ICC stantly moving air deflecting louvers and manually adjustable louvers which may be preset to any desired position.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide novel air deecting means for air conditioners including selectively'operable motor driven louvers which oscillate about vertical axes to provide a sweep of air from side to side and a set of louvers manually adjustable about horizontal axes disposed in the path of the yair issuing from the oscillating louvers and eifective to direct the cool air up or down as desired.

lt is an additional object of Ithe present invention to provide novel control means for adjusting the position of air deecting louvers for air conditioners which are of simple, inexpensive construction and which provide convenience of operation to a unique degree.

Additional objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds in connection with lthe accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a front elevation of an air conditioner embodying a preferred form of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a central vertical section taken along line 2 2 of Figure l;

Figures 3 and 4 are fragmentary sections taken along lines 3 3 and 4 4 respectively of Figure l showing details of the mounting and operating mechanism for the manually adjustable louvers;

Figure 5 is a view of one of the louvers removed from the mounting assembly; i

Figure 6 is a fragmentary rearv elevation of the control mechanism for the front panel louvers;

Figure 7 is a horizontal section of the mounting and rive assembly for the inner Voscillating louvers taken along line 7 7 of Figure l;

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary section kshowing details of the construction of the inner oscillating louvers and the mounting -assembly therefor; and v Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary section of a portion of the structure shown in Figure 2. v

The air conditioning unit shown in the drawingsis of the type designed to be mounted in a window opening and includes a sheet metal shell 20 in which a sub-assembly 2,2 carrying the operating components of the air conditioner including the compressor, evaporator, condenser, and fans is removably mounted. A cabinet front panel indicated generally at 24 closes the forward end of a shell Ztl. The major operating components `of the air conditioner which are not illustratedmay take anyl ofa number of conventional forms.

The air conditioner front panel assembly 24 which is decorative as well as functional is preferably formed from molded plastic. The panel is bounded by, a molded perimetric frame 26 separated from inner vannular upper and lower integral molded frames 28 and 30 by an annular recess 32. The lower frame 30 denes the air intake section of the air conditioner and includes a plurality of horizontally disposed iixed louvers 34 extending between the opposite ends of the frame 30. At spaced intervals `along their lengths the ixed louvers 34 are supported by vertical strips 3S. The upper and lower members 36 and 37, re-

spectively, of the frame 2S are connected intermediate their ends by two vertical rearwardly openingchannels 38 and 39. The area between the members 30 and 37 is covered by ornamental panels 31 and 33 the former being mounted for horizontal sliding movement to permit access to the air conditioner controls (not shown) Vwhich are located immediately behind the panel.

The area bounded by the upper and lower membersA 36 and 37, the members 38 and 39 and -the respective Iend members 40 and 41 of the frame 28 deline the air outlet sections of the unit. The passage of air through these openings is controlled by a plurality of louvers 42, the

mounting of and control assembly for which form an important part of the present invention and will now be described in detail.

` The louvers 42 which are of identical construction and are preferably formed from molded plastic, each comprise a main body section 44 and cylindrical mounting pins 46 and 47 projecting from the opposite ends of the lower body at vthe longitudinal axis thereof. Each of the louvers also has an integral actuating pin 48 projecting from one end of the body 44 and forming a continuation of one lateral edge of the body. As best shown in Figure 4, the mounting pins 47 extend through aligned notches formed in the inner wall 52 of the frame 28 and a rearwardly projecting rib 54 also formed integrally with the frame section 28. The mounting pins 47 are retained in the slots by a Wire 56 which is held in place on the rib 54 by U-sha-ped clips 58 provided with retaining prongs 60.

As best shown in Figure' 3 the inner mounting pins 46 are mounted in aligned slots 61 in the wall members of the frame channel sections 38 and 39. The actuating pins 48 are slidably received in short slots 72 formed integrally with the lateral edges of an actuator slide member 74. The member is provided with integral marginal members 75 which extend between the pins 46 and 48 and retain the former in the frame channel sections 38 and 39.

The slide member 74 is mounted for vertical sliding movement on Unthreaded shank portions of screws 76 and 78 which extend through slots 80 and 82 formed in opposite ends of the flat body portion of the slide and are threaded into bosses formed integrally with the rear surface of the front panel assembly. Thus vertical sliding movement of the assembly 74 displaces the actuating pins 48 vertically and thus rotates each of the louver assemblies 42 about the axis of the respective pins 46 and 47.

An actuating assembly indicated generally at 84 is provided for eifecting the desired movement of the slide assembly 74. The member 84 is in the form of an elongated channel having a bottom wall 86 and side walls 88 and 90 preferably formed integrally with the bottom wall. The forward surface of the bottom wall is dished slightly and is provided with horizontal serrations which enhance the appearance of the unit and provide for more positive manual actuation.

The actuator 84 is mounted for rocking movement about a horizontal axis on pins 92 and 94 which project outwardly from the respective side walls 88 and 90 and are received in slots in the inner walls of the frame sections 38 and 39. The pins are retained in place by the marginal members 75. Formed integrally with the opposite ends of the front wall86 are cams 96 and 98 which extend through the respective slots 80 and 82 in the slide 74. The inner ends of the slots 80 and 82 constitute cam followers or cam structures. To facilitate entry of the cams into the slots the inner ends of the latter are beveled as shown at 100. The control assembly is completed by a leaf spring 102, the central U-shaped portion of which is clamped to a bridge 104 which extends across the rear face of the actuator member 84. The outer ends of the spring 102 bear against the outer surface of the slide 74, urge the latter against the heads of the screws 76 and 78 and resiliently bias the actuator member 84 toward a neutral position after each actuation.

In operation, all of the louvers may be simultaneously adjusted by depressing one end of the actuator member 84. If the upper end of the member 84 is depressed the cam 96 will displace the slide 74 downwardly thus depressing the rear edges of all of the louvers to thereby direct the flow of air upwardly through the louvers. Similarly a slight pressure on the lower end of the actuating member 84 will cause the cam 98 to enter the corresponding slot 82 in the slide 74 causing the latter to move upwardly thus elevating the rear edge of each of the louvers. It is to be understood that the setting of each of the louvers may be precisely controlled by the degree to which the actuator member 84 is depressed. The SPD-11g 102 urges the slide against the heads of the screws 76 and 78 with a light pressure which is sucient to hold the louvers in any adjusted position. As noted before, after each actuation the member 84 is returned by the spring 102 to its neutral position in which it is disposed wholly within the frame channel sections 39 and 40.

In many cases the above described adjustable louvers incorporated in the air conditioner front panel will provide adequate control of the air delivered by Ithe air conditioning unit particularly in rView of the easy adjustability of the louvers. However, to assure a gentle diffused iiow of cool air even under adverse conditions, the present invention also provides an additional set of motor driven louvers which modify and supplement the action of the front panel louvers in a unique manner, the two sets of louvers cooperating to provide for thorough diffusion of the cooled air and to substantially eliminate objectionable localized currents or drafts of cooled air.

As best shown in Figure 7 the motor driven louvers 108, which are preferably formed of a single piece of plastic, each include a main body section from the leading edge of which upper and lower cylindrical mounting pins 112 and 114 project. Projecting from the trailing edge of the lower end of the body section is a cylindrical actuating pin 116. The louvers 108 are mounted for pivotal movement about vertical axes at the forward side of the air duct indicated generally at 117 formed by upper and lower sheet metal members 118 and 120 and suitable end members. The lower mounting pins 114 project through metal collars or grommets 126 mounted at spaced intervals on a channel shaped lower bracket 128, the rearwardly extending flange 129 of which is suitably secured to the lower duct member adjacent the forward edge thereof by a plurality of screws 130. Theupper mounting pins 112 of each of the louvers project through suitably spaced openings in the upper frame member 118. The actuating pins 116 of each of the louvers are received in metal collars or grommets 132 positioned at suitably spaced intervals along the length of an actuating strap 134 which is supported for a sliding movement on the upper surface of the rear flange of the lower bracket 128 by three dimples 136.

To prevent an inadvertent dislocation of the louvers 108 a holddown strap 138 extends over the upper ends of the upper mounting pins 112 and is secured at its opposite ends to the upper duct frame member 118 as by screws 140. It will be noted that the length of the upper mounting pin 112 permits removal of the louvers by raising them suiiiciently so the lower mounting pin 114 and the lower actuating pin 116 clear their supports when the holddown strap is removed.

At its left end as viewed in Figure 7 the actuating strap 134 is pivotally connected by a pin 142 to a link 144, the opposite end of which is pivotally connected by a pin 146 to the outer end of a crank arm 148. The crank arm is non-rotatably secured to the upper end of the drive shaft 150 of a small electric motor 152 suitably secured to the underside of the lower duct frame assembly 120. When the motor 152 is energized the rotation of the crank arm 148 causes oscillation of the actuating strap 134 carrying the actuating pins 116 of the louvers thus causing the louvers to swing back and forth about the axes of the upper and lower mounting pins 112 and 114. Preferably the linkage is so constructed that the included angle between the extreme positions of each of the louvers is about 60 degrees. The speed of the motor 152 is such that the output shaft preferably rotates at a speed of approximately 6 r.p.m. Also it is preferred that the electrical circuits controlling the operation of the motor 152 be so arranged that the motor can be energized only when the motor of the fan for delivering air to the outlet duct is energized. However, provision should also be made for deenergizing the louver motor independently of the fanmotor thus permitting the user to wstop lthe nlpuyers at any desired point in their movement to create a temporary adjustment and to direct the ilow of air in any desired horizontal pattern.

In the operation of the air conditioner, air is drawn in through the louvers 34 at the lower part of the front panel over the evaporator coils indicated generally `at 154, which are positioned in a duct formed by wall members 155, 156, 157 and 158, the duct leading to the inlet side of the fan not shown. The outlet end of the fan is connected to the inner end of the upper duct assembly 117 and the cooled air is then forced outwardly successively over the inner louvers 108 and the outer louvers 42. The former may be operated to provide any desired horizontal pattern of air flow. Then if Adesired the pattern established by the inner louvers 108 can be altered in a vertical direction as desired by suitable adjustment of the-outer louvers 42.

Actual experience has demonstrated that when the inner louvers are oscillated by the drive motor the resulting gentle diffused air flow produces a remarkable increase in the comfort of the occupants of the space served by the air conditioner. The improvement effected by the air guide structure of the present invention is particularly marked when the air conditioner serves a sealed or closely confined room and substantially cornpletely eliminates the closed-in, stuffy and conlned atmosphere which is often present under such conditions.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a front panel for air conditioners and the like, an adjustable louver structure comprising a frame structure formed in said panel and surrounding a ow port, said frame structure including rearwardly projecting wall members, said wall members having rearwardly opening slots, a plurality of louvers having mounting pins projecting from their opposite ends rotatably supported in said slots, means for retaining said pins in said slots, a slide mounted in said frame structure for movement transversely of the axes of said pins and substantially parallel to the plane containing said mounting pins, actuating pins projecting from said louvers and laterally otset from said mounting pins, means forming slots in said slide for receiving said actuating pins whereby movement of said slide is effective to move said actuating pins and pivot said louvers about the axes of said mounting pins, an actuating member mounted in said frame structure adjacent said slide for pivotal movement in opposite directions away from a neutral position about an axis parallel to the axes of said pins, cooperating cam and cam follower means on said actuating member and said slide respectively effective to convert pivotal motion of said actuating member to longitudinal movement of said slide, and resilient means for returning said actuating member to said neutral position after each operation thereof.

2. In a front panel for air conditioners and the like, an adjustable louver structure comprising a frame structure formed in said panel and surrounding a iiow port, said frame structure including rearwardly projecting wall members, said wall members having rearwardly opening slots, a plurality of louvers having mounting pins projecting from their opposite ends rotatably supported in said slots, means for retaining said mounting pins in said slots, a slide mounted in said frame structure for movement transversely of the axes of said pins and substantially parallel to the plane containing said mounting` pins actuating pins projecting from said louvers and laterally oiset from said mounting pins, means defining slots in said slide for receiving said actuating pins whereby movement of said slide is effective to move said actuating pins and pivot said louvers about the axes of said mounting pins, an actuating member mounted in said frame structure adjacent said slide forl pivotal movement in opposite directions away from a neutral position about an axis parallel to the axes of said mounting pins, a pair of cams positioned respectively at opposite ends of said actuating member and extending toward slide, a pair of cam followers respectively at the opposite ends of said slide, one of said followers being engaged by the adjacent cam when said actuating member is pivoted in one direction away from said neutral position and the other of said followers being engaged by the other of said cams when said actuating member is pivoted in the opposite direction, and resilient means engageable with said actuating member to return said actuating member to its neutral position after each actuation thereof.

3. The combination according to claim 2 together with an additional set of louvers mounted adjacent said flow port for pivotal movement about axes extending transversely of the axes of said first-mentioned louvers and substantially in a plane generally parallel to the plane of the axes of said iirst mentioned louvers, a motor, and means drivingly connecting said motor to each of said additional set of louvers to constantly oscillate said additional set of louvers.

4. In a front panel for air conditioners and the like, two frame structures formed in said panel and surrounding ow ports in side-by-side relation, each of said frame structures including rearwardly projecting wall members, said wall members having rearwardly opening slots, a iirst set of louvers having mounting pins projecting from their opposite ends rotatably supported in the slots formed in one vof said frame structures, means for retaining said mounting pins in said slots, a second set of louvers having mounting pins projecting from their opposite ends rotatably supported in said slots in the other frame structure, means for retaining the mounting pins of said second set of louvers in said slots in the other frame structure, a slide mounted in said frame structure between said ow ports for movement transversely of the axes of said pins and substantially in the plane containing said mounting pins, means forming slots in said slide, actuating pins on the adjacent ends of said louvers projecting toward said slide into said slots and laterally oiset from said mounting pins whereby movement of said slide is .effective to move said actuating pins and pivot said louvers about the axes of said mounting pins, an actuating member mounted in said frame structure adjacent said slide and between the adjacent portions of said frame structures for pivotal movement in opposite directions away from a neutral position about an axis parallel to the axes of said pins, and cooperating cam and cam follower means on said actuating member and said slide respectively effective to convert pivotal movement of said actuating member to longitudinal movement of said slide.

5. The combination according to claim 4 together with resilient means to return said actuating member to said neutral position after each actuation thereof.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 262,929 Childs Aug. 22, 1882 435,391 Burmeister Sept. 2, 1890 471,681 Collins Mar. 29, 1892 1,383,469 Largen July 5, 1921 1,821,744 Drummond Sept. 1, 1931 2,124,716 Sperry July 26, 1938 2,206,995 Ashley July 9, 1940 2,509,774 Leigh May 30, 1950 

